Welcome to Friday Foto Flogging, a place to share your photos and photography news. We were inspired by the folks at European Tribune who post a regular Friday Photoblog series to try the same on this side of the virtual Atlantic. We also thought foto folks would enjoy seeing some other websites so each week we’ll introduce a different photo website.
This week’s theme: Random. Post whatever you want
Website of the Week: Ron Flickinger Photography: Jim and I met Ron while hiking Utah’s Coyotte Buttes and had a nice afternoon wandering the rock formations with him.
He hikes with a large format camera, which impressed us greatly. And while he wasn’t a full-time photographer, he sold enough that all his vacations were expensable which really impressed us.
AndiF’s Whatever
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No picture of the Grand Canyon is ever big enough
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Geezer Beech
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Abstracted
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olivia’s this and that
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Noods hiding in a paper grocery sack
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Snowflakes
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Abstracted
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- Next Week’s Theme: People. Portraits and candids, faces and bodies, solo and crowds, dressed up and
undressed(oops, better keep it SFW).
Info on Posting Photos
When you post your photos, please keep the width at 500 or less for the sake of our Bootribers who are on dial-up. If you want to post clickable thumbnails but aren’t sure how, check out this diary:
Clickable Thumbnails. If you haven’t yet joined a photo-hosting site, here are some to consider: Photobucket, Flickr, ImageShack, and Picasa.
Previous Friday Foto Flogs
Natural sculpture in the Bisti Badlands, New Mexico
Click for larger
Kalaulau Valley from Koke’e State Park, Hawaii
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Andi perched atop Comb Ridge, Utah
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PF
And damn I wish I was there right now.
Yeah, at -9°F, all those look pretty good.
Minus 9! Yikes!
It’s warm here. Intermittently, anyway. We’ve had a heat wave and a cold snap all in the same week.
Those are gorgeous! I want to be standing where you stood to view Kalaulau Valley in person … wow, that is amazing.
The scans worked really well!
Getting to the Kalalau Valley overlook was a long and aduous hike from the car to the end of the parking lot. Talk about bang for the buck!
My kind of location!
Heh,
I’ve been to that vantage point (or close by) – near to the wettest place on earth.
Twenty years ago coming fall…
You two sure get around. I’d be jealous if I didn’t have a very similar collection of photos (except Hawaii). Of course, Andi’s not in any of mine, so you’ve got me beat there.
Six-month-old baby Tasmanian devil
Sunset (through bush fire smoke)
Bennetts wallaby
I know, with me it’s always critters and landscapes, landscapes and critters. But I say, go with your strenghts.
That baby devil is just adorable, though with those claws I don’t think I’d want to cuddle with it.
The “make sure you get my best side” pose of the wallaby cracks me up.
Sunset is gorgeous — too bad it took a fire to create it.
They don’t call ’em devils for nothing. Adults eat their prey (or carrion) bones and all in less time that it takes us to finish Thanksgiving dinner.
The wallabies always seem to strike that pose. But rather than doing a Gloria Swanson, I think it’s because they are preparing to bolt, while not wanting to look too worried.
It’s well past my bedtime, so I’ll check back in the morning to see all the purty fotos.
So the cuteness definitely has an expiration date.
Night and pleasant dreams.
Great shots. It looks like even at 6 months Taz has pretty impressive claws. The sunset shot is beautiful. Ironic that it is caused by something so destructive. Are brush fires a natural part of the ecology of Tasmania like grass fires are in the prairie? When ever we get that over the shoulder look from deer, the next thing we see is the flash of their white rumps before they take off.
Yes, Australia has evolved to burn. Unfortunately that rational is used by the timber harvesters to burn their slash piles, which was the source of the smoke in the photo. These so called “regeneration burns” are actually degeneration burns intended to sterilize the soil as preparation for plantation planting.
Historically, most of the Australian Aboriginal cultures used what is called “patch mosaic burning” to keep the grasslands from becoming over-run by forests. By selectively and progressively clearing trees and brush from forested areas they maintained the grasslands so vital to their main prey species (i.e. kangaroo).
This active burning regime seems to have evolved following the extinction of the megafauna, who would have had much the same effect by keeping trees well grazed back.
This cycle of grass-replacing-trees-replacing-grass-etc caused by megafauna rotating with smaller grazers can still be seen in Africa, where the Massi say, “The elephants make the grass and the cattle make the trees”.
Love seeing them … 🙂
Echoing Andi and Jim re: the sun shot — wow, that is gorgeous. And way too cute w/ the baby Tasmanian Devil.
It’s about the only time in their lives that they are cute. The mother has a gestation period of only 21 days, at which point she gives birth to 20 – 40 pups the size of a grain of wheat. These pups are naked and eyeless and have only front limb with which to pull themselves towards one of the four teats in her pouch. Mum eats the ones who don’t survive.
As adults the are fairly ratty looking, especially their ears, due to their constantly biting each other in fights over food.
Here’s a photo showing four Tasmanian devil pups on an Aussie five cent coin (which is about the size of a US dime). You can click to enlarge it.
Oh, and a bit more about their table manners – they can consume nearly half their body weight in half-an-hour’s time, and need to eat an average of 15% of their body weight per day.
A sunset for the ages.
Extreme Sunsets; the book.
Jacket photo; This one.
Very beautiful, & I see plenty of very nice sunsets from my deck.
I also see them through the smokey haze of fires.
This one is exceptional.
Olivia, I’ll bet Noods was quoting Gretta Garbo when you took that picture. The snowflakes are amazing. I like the off center placement on the red and white swirls.
Recycled the snowflakes from the archives. I’ve been planning on taking some new ones, but haven’t gotten around to it yet.
Being an open subject this week, everyone wandering through please post at least one picture. doesn’t have to be great art just your favorite picture. We want to see them.
Canaveral National Seashore
Bulow Creek, Ancient Trees
Beach Gulls, New Symrna Beach
Hiding, Tomoka State Park
Orchid Tree
Firecracker Plant
Just some mostly recent shots taken near the east coast of Florida.
I think the heron (?) took the Purloined Letter to heart and decided to go for hiding in plain sight. 🙂
I really think it thought it was hiding, until it heard the af motor and started to get nervous. Then it was a matter of a split second and he/she was gone.
Through spring to early fall, we get herons around here fairly often (and some cranes and egrets) but they are very flighty (pun intended) and I’ve been able to get a good picture of one.
for regular visitors and lurkers. We’d love to see your favourite photos.
Love the Beach Gulls photo and the ancient trees. The starkness of the trunks against the water and green growth.
I first saw these trees while we were on a sightseeing drive and had to go back as they just fascinate me. They must have been part of a treeline at one point in time, as the flat changed so did the tree lines? Part of the fascination.
I like the way the gulls are shown in all the layers of colors of the beach.
My original motivation was the birds, then I saw the color, but not until it was on a bigger screen. Two inch monitor on the camera just doesn’t do it.
Lovely color in all of them.
Just because it’s my fave
Topsail Island on a stormy day
bragging on the boy’s art
Happy 19th Birthday, Big Guy
Owen is such a wonderfully imaginative artist.
The (dirty hippie peacenik) squirrel photo is such great fun. Puts a smile on my face every time I see it.
Hey is that a fellow-crossed-eyed baby or is it just the angle?
What a wonderful sky. I love it.
It’s just the angle, and the fact that B really, really, really liked his bath. He’s the one who still takes 25 minute showers….grrrr.
He just does those long showers so you’ll be glad when he finally leaves home. 🙂
Great shots! My fav is the stormy beach. Fidel ponders D cups is terrific; Owen is so good. It looks like there was another child from the Village of the Damned – those blue blue eyes.
You get my vote for “most random”.
Andi, No picture of the Grand Canyon is ever big enough
No, but that’s certainly close.
Doesn’t feel that way to me — maybe if I could find some way to do a 360° photo. 🙂
It is a lovely panorama, but I know exactly how you feel.
Olivia, Noods pic has great atmosphere.
Blackberry Brambles (Gift from the birds+benign neglect+time=10qts. of frozen berries)
My Lady Stone
Some of us like winter and snow!
Love the Buddha belly….I’d like it better if it didn’t look so familiar. 🙁
You could charge admission to see the Lady stone.
So far I have resisted the temptation to put a rhinestone in his belly button.
I read about ancient earth mother goddess statues, and thought what a shame they didn’t remain popular. So I made some “Buddha Babes” with sculpey clay – all plump and pleased. I did add pearl necklaces – sort of what “June Cleaver” could of been. Then I put them outside near various plants. Now the plants have grown so I have to root around to find them. Thinking of someone in the future finding them makes me laugh.
10qts. of blackberries = how many pts. of blood?
Getting the berries is a lot like playing Twister – any blood loss is balanced by eating as I pick.
Not only do I love your pictures, I love that you’ve posted pictures. Yay!
Benign neglect supplies my berries as well.
Your Buddha shot is charmingly exuberant.
random stuff
window #4
steel ice span… the result of day long freezing mist and drizzle
rust never sleeps
dandi [abstract]
clik images to enlarge
Clearly we need to do random more often — what a fascinating set of photos, especially steel ice span.
A very nice collection of form-as-subject photos.
I’m a sucker for dandelions, but when I looked at yours for the first time I thought you’d taken a picture of fireworks in b/w. Since I always loved blowing the seed heads all over, dandelions and fireworks have a lot in common. Great set.
thanks jim. you’re not the first to make that comparison to fireworks.
l printed that one for a christmas present, and that was the first reaction that it got.
l consider that a success.
RANDOM THOUGHTS
from here & there.
( Go see “original”, please)
Lovely macro shots. Especially that 10th one down! ;p
Stand strong while I go count,
to ten.
I`d say you like the green, off the top of my ‘head’.
Blennies and Coconuts and your wonderful night-blooming cerus (I had to visit the blog to look for my favorite version of this which I think is this one: DSCN8756) — oh my, I do feel delighted.
I like how geckos smile. When I lived in the desert, I used to keep day geckos in tropical vivarium, just for a little bit of wet to help psychically balance the dry.
Audrey Hepburn had nothing on your funny faces!
First serious attempt at an HDR shot, this is the Ben Franklin Bridge.
Random squirrel (I love shooting squirrels)
Big Old Bug
The Cira Centre
Asphalt
You Think He Saw Me?
Yep. He Saw Me.
Very cool.
I did a few very similar a few hours ago. & when your images came up, it surprised me.
Interesting. See, I’d never think to do something like that. That’s cool!
[Note to self – go buy a magnifying glass and put it in bag]
Your fist HDR shot was a lot more successful than mine. I think I took about 30 or 40 before I got one that I thought actually worked.
I think the asphalt shot is really fine — great use of texture and perspective.
Is the Franklin bridge shot taken with your 5D Mark 11?
5D Mark 11? Lol, I only have a D60.
You do understand what I`m referring to though, correct?
Stand strong,
I got it. I read an article on the new presidential portrait.
It was taken with a 5D Mark 11, I believe.
When I went to look at it, the only one I saw was some dumb schmuck clown faced moran
Thinking it was the first presidential digital portrait, as I had not looked any further, I could only think of what a great snark it was, & the rest is now history. I never did get the connection with #6 though.
Later yesterday, I saw the real one of Barack Obama.
Then I heard someone mention “Down With The Clown”, & realized the circle was complete.
Cool Katydid.
I never would have thought of taking a picture of an asphalt road. Or a bug (katydid?) on the side of a building either. Or playing with mirrors. Thanks for helping me look at things I would usually miss.
Friday Bud Blogging at my site today:
click for transportation
I’m off to board the plane, see you in a couple of time zones.
Safe travels, Manny. Have a great time and come back with lots of fine stories to tell us. 🙂
And Bud, looks like you’re going to be having some fine stories to tell, too.
Ooo, ooo baby Bassetts! Would you call them “bassinets”?
These are two oddball photos.
The first is inspired by Olivia’s beautiful photo of Noods in the grocery bag. Mine is a much less cuddly concrete pig peeking out from under snow.
The second is, believe it or not, a photo of Perry’s Monument on South Bass Island in Lake Erie, as seen from Huron, OH. Arrow added for your peace of mind.
Yep, I needed the arrow. 😀
I used to stay at a cottage in Huron! And spent lots of time in Put-in-bay. 🙂
Then you must remember The Round House and how it smelled on a Sunday morning….. LOL
Oh yeah.
Gee, what a cute pig. 🙂
I’ve always liked my toys to be big, complicated and pricey. That’s why I learned to get others to buy them and allow me to play occasionally.
Good plan.
Well if I were going to be people to buy big toys for me, I think I’d rather have a plasma tv with surround sound. Will the county go for that?
ID, stop perpetuating the
truthmyth about the relationship between male age and entertainment device cost.An example of the French Deconstructionist School, first reported on from “down-under” by keres. Madame Sassy has been at work on this ambitious piece for several months.
Here Madhbh examines the fine detail work.
The artist, Madame Sassy in repose.
LOL. That’s great. Hector can only aspire to such heights.
Au contraire, he’s been a great inspiration to Madame. Such brilliance from one so young!
He does make up for youth and lack-of-size with a surfeit of gusto. I listened to the sound of shredding and tearing for about an hour, on and off, yesterday. Today’s been a bit quieter. But then it is Saturday.
The French Deconstructionists saw this and immediately awarded Madame Sassy the Legion of Honor.
I hear Madame Sassy tore it to shreds.
her brother eating spaghetti.
Okay, maybe sometimes estHer is too original. 🙂
Salah Ad Din (aka Saladin) Citadel began as a fortress built by the Byzantines in the late 10th century. The Crusaders took it over early in the 12th century, and did more building. Most of the structure that is there today is from this period. In 1288 Salah Ad Din (Saladin to you westerners) conquered the Citadel and threw out the Crusaders in only two days of fighting. After that it never fell back into the Crusaders’ hands, unlike most of the other fortresses, which changed hands a number of times.
What is most remarkable about this Citadel is that it is situated on top of a high ridge with very sheer walls. On all sides of the ridge you can see – well, on a clear day, forever. And probably the most amazing feature is the canyon you pass through on your way to the entrance to the Citadel. Astonishingly, that canyon is man made. The Crusaders cut it laboriously out of the mountain. I took some shots of it, but it is difficult to do justice, even with a far more sophisticated camera than I have.
You can see a satellite view of the Citadel on Google Earth by putting in Citadel of Salah Ad Din. If you click on the little squares you can see photos, though it is difficult for a photo to do it justice.
Statue of Salah Ad Din outside the Old City, Damascus
View from the Citadel
Painted by a deceased friend of mine. A gift to me from his wife.
This is not Magritte. 😉
Very cool painting and photo of the picture (now if only we had a painting of you taking the photo of the painting, it would be perfect) and very wonderful of your friend’s wife to give it to you.
View inside the Citadel
Canyon hewn from the mountain by the Crusaders
View of the approach road through the man made canyon
View from inside the Citadel of the western end
Views of the Citadel from the northwest (impossible to do it justice)
Location, location, location. But for me it wouldn’t have been just the high vantage point or the difficult approach — I would have reveled in looking out at gentle green waves of trees.
It’s really amazing.
I did!
And one of the most memorable moments ever came when the call to prayer began from a nearby village. I was looking out in the direction of that first photo of the view from the Citadel, and from the distance I heard, coming from the forest, the howling of – wolves? Jackals? I wonder whether that happens five times a day – sort of a wolf call to prayer. I am quite sure it was no coincidence, and that they were responding to the sound from the mosque.
Simply mind boggling. The man made cut through that rock, in defense of, & in addition to, the fortified Citadel is amazing.
Then couple that with howling wolves & call to prayer, & one could not cast a more powerful spell.
I always look forward to your presentations.
They are educational, inspirational & do spread unity with others. For example I would not have imagined the rolling mountains of forest when speaking of Damascus. When you see areas like this & the wild flowers & pastoral vistas of last weeks posts, one sees a faraway land of the imagination, that must therefore be populated with people who enjoy the same ideas of harmony with nature as other people around the world.
Posting images such as this also arouses at least My curiosity to go search for more information on this citadel.
Thanks for the encouragement, KH. It would be so much more difficult for us to want to harm each other if we only knew how alike we all are in our humanity.
Check out the Citadel on Google Earth. Adds an interesting perspective, and makes it much more clear where it is geographically. Also, if you click on the little white squares that are scattered around, you can see some more photos.
By the way, it is pretty dry and deserty around Damascus. The Citadel is in the coastal mountains near Lattakia.
Wow! Incredible! Thanks for posting these.
Here’s more of Bryce Canyon from this past summer.
Please sir, may have some more?
I’ll have to go and dig some up.
Well, congratulations everyone! You’ve managed to outdo yourselves once again. What a great set of photos!